School for Scoundrels (2006)

Adequately entertaining. Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder make mildly interesting, obviously unmatched adversaries. Talented supporting cast also supplies some interest, but no character is fully developed. Michael Clarke Duncan comes the closest, but his hostility, his back story, his orientation is unexplained and sometimes inexplicable. Jacinda Barrett plays a nice girl, and does a nice job. Some laughs, interrupted by huge plot holes. What is Sarah Silverman doing, except being nasty?

The premise is funny. Who hasn't felt like "the nice guy who finishes last", with the exception of people like the self-proclaimed "Doctor P", Billy Bob Thornton, who teaches the class of the weak and the meek to become lions. The overall mediocrity of the mess is pretty much attributable to director Todd Phillips ("Old School", "Starsky and Hutch"). Wait for the DVD, and rent it for $1.00; don't buy it.

Fmovies: Went to preview screening last night and was pleasantly amused for the first hour but then it just went downhill. Jon Heder's performance is pretty much flat, not bad in any way except that it does nothing to beyond what was on the page. This is typical of most of the cast who seem to be engaged in some sort of paint by numbers exercise. Even Billy Bob Thorton who is well cast as a drill instructor for losers loses steam. Todd Luiso, best known for the wimpy employee in High Fidelity is probably the only actor that manages to turn in something worthy of appreciation. There is an oneupmanship sequence reminiscent of "Rushmore" but only serves to make one wish they were watching that instead. Wait till it's in the video store and you have trouble agreeing what to rent and need something bland.

I was a bit let down by this movie. Hearing that Billy bob thorton and Jon Heder were in it, (aswell as sarah silverman) I was expecting to get some quality laughs out of this, but what I got was pretty weak. Not that movies like this have incredible stories or plots, but this one was pretty bad, and it moved at an awkward pace to me, that made it even more unbelievable than the genre usually is, As a fan of this sort of platform for a comedy, maybe I'm being to hard on it by other peoples standards, so I don't want to all out not recommend it, but Don't expect as many laughs as the other Billy bob thorton flicks like bad santa, it's light comedy. I usually tend to enjoy these comedies a few times over, but one viewing of this will be enough for me.

5/10

School for Scoundrels fmovies. This is a comedy of very dark humor which I enjoy. Its not the greatest but it simply fulfills its purpose of giving a enjoyable moment to the viewer. The story is convincing. A loser living in New York with a crappy job, and no self-esteem seeks for help with a man called Dr. P to win the love of his neighbor Amanda. The cast is really good, Billy Bob Thornton in a role that fits him like a glove, his performance was excellent. Jon Heder also with a role that fits him really well, he is constantly evolving as an actor and a comedian. Michael Clark Duncan was hilarious, never thought he could be that funny. The brief appearance from Ben Stiller as Lonnie was really convincing. The supporting cast like Horatio Sanz, Todd Louiso and Luis Guzmán is a really good complement.

I saw a preview yesterday, and the movie is very funny in parts. I laughed so hard I cried a couple of times. On the other hand, there are times when the movie seems to drag on too long. In my opinion, this movie is two stories in one - and one works great, and the other not so much. The whole school for scoundrels thing is hysterical. Any scene with Heder and his buddies had the audience roaring. Jon Glaser was my favorite - will somebody get this guy his own movie, please?! But everything outside that was definitely not on the same level. Even the brilliant Ben Stiller, Sara Silverman and David Cross didn't work nearly as well, nor did the scenes of competition between Heder and Thornton. It's still worth seeing for the scenes that do work with his buddies though, as you don't get to laugh that hard too often. - Mikeontheriver

In a world full of really moronic teeny bopper movies, thank the heavens we have Billy Bob Thorton. Here in "School For Scoundrels", he is as hilarious as ever!

Roger is a loser living in New York City. He has a terrible job, gets no respect from his co-workers, and has never dated a woman. Secretly, he has a crush on his neighbor Amanda, but is so shy, he can't get up the nerve to ask her out. When his friend recommends him to Dr. P (played fabulously by Billy Bob in his trademark type role), his life seems to be finally turning around. However, Dr. P has a secret agenda up his sleeve.

Billy Bob does a great job in this film, as well as all the other mostly unknown actors. The story was funny and fun. It's nice to see comedy films geared towards the "older" crowd. Had a few twists and turns I didn't see coming. Very enjoyable film! Overall, I give this film an 8/10.

If you enjoy a good comedy that's not all about fart jokes or satire (as all "comedies" seem to be these days), check it out! I'm sure you will enjoy it!